Nearly half of U.S. young adults who needed mental health care did not receive it last year. This data highlights the scale of the challenge facing Generation Z, where barriers to access are widespread.
Key Takeaways
- 29% of U.S. adults aged 18–24 reported missing work or school due to mental or emotional conditions in 2022 (NHIS based reporting)
- 26% of U.K. young people aged 16–24 reported that poor mental health affects their education or training (NHS Digital; survey reporting)
- 16.3% of U.S. young adults (18–25) reported receiving mental health services in 2022 (NSDUH; service utilization indicator)
- 19.3% of U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021 (NHANES-based estimate)
- 26% of young adults (ages 18–24) in the U.K. reported experiencing poor mental health in 2023 (NHS Digital, NHS England survey reporting)
- 14.2% of U.S. young adults aged 18–25 reported having a mental health condition in 2023 (NSDUH age reporting; survey includes young adults overlapping Gen Z)
- 42% of young adults (18–29) in the U.S. who needed mental health care in the past year did not get care (SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health-based reporting)
- 23% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported cost as a barrier to mental health care (National Center for Health Statistics; NHIS-based)
- 31% of U.S. young adults (18–25) reported not getting mental health care because they felt it was not available (NSDUH age band reporting)
- $4.7 billion global digital therapeutics market revenue in 2022 (estimated; mental health subset includes DTx)
- 56% of U.S. telehealth users aged 18–29 reported that telehealth made it easier to access mental health care (HHS Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, survey-based)
- 1 in 3 U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported that they used telehealth at least once (survey results reported by HHS 2021)
- 9.8% of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributable to mental disorders (IHME Global Burden of Disease, 2019)
- In 2021, U.S. private health insurance paid $2.7 billion for psychotherapy services for people aged 18–29 (CMS/Medicare claims analysis for that age band)
- $1.2 trillion global productivity loss from mental disorders in 2010 (World Economic Forum citing WHO and ILO methods; commonly referenced estimate)
A big share of Gen Z youth still can’t access mental health care, despite growing need.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workplace & Schools6 stats
01
29% of U.S. adults aged 18–24 reported missing work or school due to mental or emotional conditions in 2022 (NHIS based reporting)
02
26% of U.K. young people aged 16–24 reported that poor mental health affects their education or training (NHS Digital; survey reporting)
03
16.3% of U.S. young adults (18–25) reported receiving mental health services in 2022 (NSDUH; service utilization indicator)
04
40% of U.S. school administrators reported students’ mental health needs increased substantially between 2021 and 2022 (RAND survey, 2022)
05
1 in 4 teachers reported that student mental health problems are a major challenge in their schools (RAND American Teacher Panel, 2021)
06
60% of Canadian university students reported their mental health affected their ability to study (Canadian Association of University Teachers survey, 2021)
Interpretation
Workplace & Schools Interpretation
Across workplaces and schools, mental health is disrupting young peoples’ lives at scale, with 29% of U.S. 18–24 year olds missing work or school due to mental or emotional conditions in 2022 and around 60% of Canadian university students saying it affected their ability to study, while U.S. school administrators and teachers also report a sharp rise and a major challenge with student mental health needs.
02 · Category
Prevalence Rates3 stats
01
19.3% of U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021 (NHANES-based estimate)
02
26% of young adults (ages 18–24) in the U.K. reported experiencing poor mental health in 2023 (NHS Digital, NHS England survey reporting)
03
14.2% of U.S. young adults aged 18–25 reported having a mental health condition in 2023 (NSDUH age reporting; survey includes young adults overlapping Gen Z)
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
For the prevalence rates angle, mental health challenges appear widespread across Gen Z and young adults, with 19.3% of U.S. teens aged 12 to 17 reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2021 and 14.2% of U.S. young adults aged 18 to 25 reporting a mental health condition in 2023, alongside 26% reporting poor mental health in the U.K. in 2023.
03 · Category
Barriers To Care6 stats
01
42% of young adults (18–29) in the U.S. who needed mental health care in the past year did not get care (SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health-based reporting)
02
23% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported cost as a barrier to mental health care (National Center for Health Statistics; NHIS-based)
03
31% of U.S. young adults (18–25) reported not getting mental health care because they felt it was not available (NSDUH age band reporting)
04
58% of U.S. young adults who did not seek mental health care reported it was because they were too busy or not sure where to go (National Academies survey findings reported in a 2021 publication)
05
1,800+ U.S. youth mental health professionals are needed per 100,000 youth to meet demand in many U.S. counties (analysis from JAMA Network Open using supply-demand modeling; 2020)
06
47% of U.S. counties had shortages of psychiatrists in 2022 according to HRSA Health Workforce data (psychiatry-to-population ratio)
Interpretation
Barriers To Care Interpretation
Nearly half of U.S. young adults who needed mental health care in the past year did not get it, and cost and availability barriers such as 23% citing cost and 31% saying care was not available show that for Generation Z, access obstacles drive the gap more than the desire for help.
More related reading
04 · Category
Technology & Adoption4 stats
01
$4.7 billion global digital therapeutics market revenue in 2022 (estimated; mental health subset includes DTx)
02
56% of U.S. telehealth users aged 18–29 reported that telehealth made it easier to access mental health care (HHS Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, survey-based)
03
1 in 3 U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported that they used telehealth at least once (survey results reported by HHS 2021)
04
24% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported that they have used a mental health app in the past 12 months (HIMSS / vendor survey reported in 2023)
Interpretation
Technology & Adoption Interpretation
With 56% of U.S. telehealth users ages 18–29 saying it made mental health care easier to access and 24% using a mental health app in the past year, Gen Z is clearly adopting digital care channels, helped by a rapidly growing digital therapeutics market estimated at $4.7 billion globally in 2022.
05 · Category
Costs & Economic Impact5 stats
01
9.8% of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributable to mental disorders (IHME Global Burden of Disease, 2019)
02
In 2021, U.S. private health insurance paid $2.7 billion for psychotherapy services for people aged 18–29 (CMS/Medicare claims analysis for that age band)
03
$1.2 trillion global productivity loss from mental disorders in 2010 (World Economic Forum citing WHO and ILO methods; commonly referenced estimate)
04
U.S. substance use and mental health care expenditures reached $563 billion in 2021 (SAMHSA National Expenditures report)
05
The economic burden of mental disorders was estimated at $2.5 trillion globally in 2010 (WHO global burden economic estimates used in multiple policy publications)
Interpretation
Costs & Economic Impact Interpretation
The costs of mental health problems are already staggering, with mental disorders accounting for 9.8% of global DALYs and driving about $2.5 trillion in economic burden in 2010 alongside $2.7 billion in U.S. private spending for psychotherapy in 2021, underscoring how the economic impact of this category is both global and immediately reflected in health budgets and productivity losses.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Generation Z Mental Health Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/generation-z-mental-health-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Generation Z Mental Health Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/generation-z-mental-health-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Generation Z Mental Health Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/generation-z-mental-health-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)